The full capacity crowd that descended on Orlando Stadium was left disappointed after Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi played to a lukewarm goalless draw in yesterday’s MTN8 semifinal.
While the fans created an electrifying atmosphere and a razzmatazz, the players did not come to the party. The players and coaches were too cautious in their approach, perhaps with the comfort that there’s still a second leg to come. The second leg will be played on October 22 at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The draw favours Pirates a little in the sense that should they get a scoring draw in the return leg, Sundowns will be out of the competition. But on the flip side of the coin, Sundowns are capable of hammering Bucs with an avalanche of goals. Sundowns started with a rather unorthodox 3-4-3 formation that seemed to trouble the Pirates players.
Pirates’ marquee signing Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo walked into the starting lineup and exerted his authority in the middle of the park. Although he displayed some nice, tricky passes, he was not that influential in the first half. Pirates almost broke the duck in the 12th minute when Monnapula Saleng’s free kick beat Ronwen Williams but rocketed off the crossbar.
At this stage, Pirates were slowly penetrating the Sundowns rearguard, keeping Williams on his toes. Sundowns fought back, albeit with missed opportunities. Towards the end, the two sides toiled, but a goal was not forthcoming
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